The Camarilla
The Camarilla is the largest of vampiric sects, a loose organization which ostensibly represents and protects all vampires by enforcing and promulgating the Masquerade. It is composed of seven clans, though officially it considers all Kindred under its purview and welcomes any that obey its laws. In addition to preventing the growing mortals masses from discovering the existence of vampires, the Camarilla aims to maintain the status quo of Kindred society; as such, much of its structure and traditions mirror that of Cainite society in feudal Europe in the Dark Ages, and places it at odds with the agenda of the Sabbat. The Traditions The Traditions form the legal backbone of Camarilla society, although in modern nights, the Prince fulfills the Elder role outlined in the traditions. Most vampiric culture springs from the Traditions – presentation is outlined in the Tradition of Hospitality, the Blood Hunt in the Tradition of Destruction and the parceling of land in the Tradition of Domain. First Tradition: The Masquerade Thou shall not reveal thy true nature to those not of the Blood. Doing such shall renounce thy claims of Blood. Second Tradition: The Domain Thy domain is thine own concern. All others owe thee respect while in it. None may challenge thy word while in thy domain. Third Tradition: The Progeny Thou shall only Sire another with the permission of thine Elder. If thou createst another without thine Elder's leave, both thou and thy Progeny shall be slain. Fourth Tradition: The Accounting Those thou create are thine own children. Until thy Progeny shall be Released, thou shall command them in all things. Their sins are thine to endure. Fifth Tradition: The Hospitality Honor one another's domain. When thou comest to a foreign city, thou shall present thyself to the one who ruleth there. Without the word of acceptance, thou art nothing. Sixth Tradition: The Destruction Thou art forbidden to destroy another of thy kind. The right of destruction belongeth only to thine Elder. Only the Eldest among thee shall call the Blood Hunt. Organization The Camarilla is a global organization that maintains and oversees a collection of feudal domains, particularly in North America and Europe. It is a loose alliance lacking a strong central authority or standing military. Individual Camarilla cities are almost always ruled by a prince with the assistance of the primogen, who either act as a council of advisers or hold their own measure of power. Other offices of a city include the harpy, Keeper of Elysium, seneschal, sheriff, and scourge. Most Camarilla cities are fairly autonomous, and the broader Camarilla authority usually only becomes involved when there are concerns of a large Sabbat incursion, significant breaches of the Masquerade, or conflicts between a city's elders that could cause greater instability. In such cases one or more archons are dispatched to look into the matter and either resolve the matter or report back to their respective justicar. Whereas there are any number of archons that have been enlisted to serve the sect's leaders, there is only one justicar for each official clan in the Camarilla. These influential vampires represent the highest visible authority of the Camarilla and hold tremendous power to enforce the sect's precepts and call on its resources. They answer only to the Inner Circle, a secretive body of the Camarilla's eldest members that determines the sect's direction and policies. The Inner Circle The Inner Circle is the organizing council of the Camarilla. Practically nothing is known about the Inner Circle, which takes pains to keep the identity of its members hidden. The public face of the Inner Circle are the Justicars and their Archon assistants. Members of the Inner Circle elect Justicars and otherwise establish the principles of Camarilla law. Once every 13 years they host a meeting inviting the eldest of each Camarilla Clan to attend. The most recent gathering was in 2011. Justicars The Justicars are the most powerful visible component of the Camarilla's government, charged with adjudicating matters of the Traditions on a wide scale and acting as the eyes, ears, and hands of the Inner Circle. There is one justicar for each clan of the Camarilla, and each is served by several handpicked archons who act as their spies, enforcers, and representatives around the world. The Justicars cultivate terror. They wield it as a weapon and few vampires are more adroit in its use. The coming of a Justicar is a great event. The prince must quickly patch up all of his quarrels with the elders and prepare. The elders must hide all of their little indiscretions. Before a Justicar arrives, all those mortals in the city who know of the Kindred are often slain, thus giving the Justicar no excuse to invoke the First Tradition. The Justicar's servants, the Archons, are often enough to handle the breaking of a Tradition. The mere threat of a Justicar's personal intervention can make even a prince mend his ways. A Justicar cannot waste her time with every little infraction of the rules; only capital crimes are worthy of her attention. Current Justicars: * Milivoj, Justicar of Clan Brujah * Faith Purrurn, Justicar of Clan Malkavian * Marisol García, Justicar of Clan Nosferatu * Frederick Amboise, Justicar of Clan Toreador * Belinda Copper, Justicar of Clan Tremere * Tenebre, Justicar of Clan Ventrue * Currently Vacant, Justicar of Clan Gangrel Archons An Archon is a recognized agent of one of the Justicars of the Camarilla. If the Justicars are the hands of the Inner Circle, the Archons are its fingers. Over the years a number of different ranks and branches have formed among archons: * Alastors are those who hunt individuals on the Red List and answer directly to the Inner Circle. They are given a mark indicating their exemption from the laws and persecution of a local city, though few would recognize it as the alastors are technically a secret organization. * Dogcatchers is an informal title for archons that have made a habit of taking on werewolves and coming out of the exchange victorious. They possess a far greater knowledge of werewolf abilities, habits, and societies than other vampires. * Doppelgangers are deep-cover archons who study and replace an individual in order to spy on their peers. While such individuals may be sent to spy on the Sabbat or Independent Clans, such assignments are often considered too dangerous. Instead, doppelgangers are typically used for internal security. * E Division is a branch of archons devoted to investigating matters of the occult and unknown phenomena that is beyond the experience of most Kindred. * Josians are dedicated to uprooting Gehenna cults while also secretly investigating discovered Noddist lore for any evidence that Gehenna may be a real danger. * Praetors are notable archons who have been given authority over their peers. The position normally only lasts as long as a given assignment, but some continue to use the title with pride. * Quaesitors are almost entirely Tremere archons that tend to all the sect's sorcerous needs, whether its combating Sabbat koldun, mages, or hunting rogue Tremere. Territories United States * Los Angeles, CA * San Francisco, CA * Salt Lake City, UT * Seattle (contested), WA * Portland, OR * Connecticut/New Hampshire * Silicon Valley, CA * Washington, DC * Houston, TX * New Orleans, LA * Chicago (contested), IL * New York (contested), NY * Boston (contested), MA Canada * Vancouver, BC * Toronto, ON Europe * London, England * Paris, France * Vienna, Austria * Rome, Italy * Berlin, Germany * Zürich, Germany * Amsterdam, Netherlands * Moscow, Russia Australia * Perth * Sydney Asia * Tokyo, Japan * Osaka, Japan * Beijing, China * Hong Kong, China